Chief of Staff

London

Job Description About Lapland UK

LaplandUK is a purpose driven entertainment company that was conceived in 2007 by Mike & Alison Battle, a couple with a passion to reimagine the Father Christmas myth and create the ultimate immersive Christmas experience where families could celebrate the wonder of childhood and specifically, their children’s precious fleeting years of belief.

Frustrated by multiple experiences of the poor treatment of their own sons’ ‘belief’, Mike and Alison Battle, embarked on a 17-year journey to elevate this special moment of childhood through their original storytelling world and so bring it to life: Lapland. Their ground-breaking immersive show opened in Tunbridge Wells in 2007 and immediately captured the attention and hearts of parents nationwide. Powered by their purpose to ‘honour childhood together,’ the couple partnered with Hollywood set designers and West End performance professionals to produce an experience of unprecedented quality and detail. The show moved to Ascot in 2013 and has now welcomed over 1.5 million ‘believers,’ with tickets selling out on release for what the press now terms ‘the Glastonbury of Christmas’.

During 2023, the Battles strengthened their senior leadership team with the recruitment of a proven Live Show Director from IMG who is preparing the launch of a second live show in Cheshire, UK in 2025. The opportunity to continue show expansion is material, both domestically and internationally, through 1st party and 3rd party (franchise) operation, with plans to launch a first international show in 2026/27.

Alongside plans for the live expansion, Lapland has also turned its attention to two additional channels to reach parents and children outside of the live event itself. Firstly, the consumer product opportunity based on their story IP, and how they could bring the authentic magic of the LaplandUK live show into the home via eCommerce. In 2024 Lapland launched a number of initiatives (personalised Letters from Lapland, Christmas Eve Boxes and more), which drove their eCommerce revenues by x10 in 2023.

Secondly, more attention was spent on Lapland’s Story IP, with the launch of their Elfcast (podcast), which hit number 1 in the UK Family Charts (and top 10 podcasts worldwide) over Christmas. The content team are now exploring options to bring their characters and stories to life through more audio and video throughout the year, resulting in greater connection to both parents and children yearlong.

The combination of our Live, commerce & content/IP verticals sets Lapland on the path to become the definitive, global Christmas brand for the 21st Century.

In early 2024, LaplandUK commenced a strategic review with proven growth consultancy The Growth Foundation to codify a plan and help guide LaplandUK’s expansion, with particular attention to requirements in their executive, senior operational team, technology and systems architecture and tactical plans in eCommerce to enable and unlock their huge growth potential. The growth plan sees the upgrade of LaplandUK’s system architecture with new ERP, Single Guest (Customer) View and material improvements in Lapland’s digital front end (website & app to allow Ticketing, eCom & Content to be accessed in one place) as well as investment in new strategic / leadership and tactical / execution roles across all business functions.

About the role

This is a career-defining role, and allows the right candidate to make their mark, learn while doing and work to propel Lapland UK into a global multi-channel, international brand from the solid foundation built to date.

As Chief of Staff, you’ll provide the CEO with leverage and help the company deliver on its ambitious plans for growth; providing support for strategy, execution, leadership and special projects, and you’ll be a critical component, supporting the leadership team to deliver our objectives. We’re looking for holistic, comprehensive and progressive management, resulting in building further brand equity and a purpose driven entertainment company.

Accountabilities include...

Strategic Support

Collaborate with the CEO to develop and execute our strategy, ensuring alignment with overall company objectives, and create SMART (or similar framework) goals for our functions to work from, with an emphasis of driving the opportunity in commerce and content/IP alongside our Live hero product;

Conduct research and analysis to provide insights and recommendations for strategic decision-making;

Assist in developing business plans and initiatives to drive growth and profitability;

Executive Liaison

Serve as a key point of contact and advisor to the CEO, managing their schedule, communications, and priorities;

Facilitate communication and coordination among executive leadership, ensuring effective information flow and decision-making bring greater cohesion across the business.

Leadership Oversight

Support and challenge three incumbent directors responsible for demand creation in our live attraction/s, consumer products & retail/eCommerce, and content/IP, working closing with our directors to build, critique and elevate plans before CEO/Board approval;

Work closely with the Finance Director to ensure financial goals and strategies are aligned with overall business objectives;

Functional Leadership

Lead our technology, insight, and talent functions, and build a high-performing team within each function, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement over the next 12-18 months;.

Own and lead the project to enhance our technology infrastructure (ERP, Single Guest View (Insight) and Guest Experience online (Ticketing, eCommerce etc);

Identify areas for Opex reduction / process improvement which positively affects the whole business;

Operational Excellence

Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational metrics to identify areas for improvement and drive efficiency;

Implement best practices and processes to optimise organisational performance and achieve business objectives.

Success looks like...

In 6-months

Our plans to elevate and upgrade our business systems architecture to support our multi-channel, market, operator model are on track and within budget, allowing Lapland to launch new Live locations and scale our consumer product / commerce and content ambitions with greater pace, greater quality and at a lower overall cost to the business;

The Senior Leadership Team and Board are overheard saying ‘what did we ever do without insert your name here; it’s clear you understand, and you’re committed to professionally oversee the leadership team by implementing the CEO’s vision for the company, successfully managing up, making the CEO feel safe, through regular reporting and communicating with clarity;

Accurate, timely and useful business and customer insight reporting / visibility is available to whomever needs it, when they need it.

In 24-months

You’ve been a instrumental in helping Lapland successfully launch its second Live site, while supporting the growth and opportunity in consumer products / commerce and content - driving group annual revenues to >£60m profitably;

Lapland’s systems architecture is ready to launch new sites in international markets, with the flexibility to allow potential 3rd party operators to franchise / licence Lapland’s IP and operate successfully;

About you

You will have proven experience in a multinational and multichannel (live attraction / entertainment / hospitality / retail) company at senior leadership / director level, with an entrepreneurial spirit, luxury product / experience sensibility, excellent analytical skills and the ability to lead all financial and technical aspects of a rapidly growing aspirational brand.

Our ideal candidate is a self-motivated, passionate, performance-driven facilitator and integrator who can bring cohesion across our functions, revenue streams and markets, today and in the future:

Proven experience in a Chief of Staff or senior leadership role, preferably within the entertainment, leisure, or hospitality industry;

Strong strategic thinking and analytical skills, with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans;

Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities, with the capacity to influence and collaborate effectively at all levels of the organisation;

Demonstrated leadership experience, including team management and development;

Strategic mindset with a focus on innovation and continuous improvement;

Ability to thrive and make decisions in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt to changing priorities;

Passion for our brand and commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences.